who's rocking the regular instand ocean salt?

[Devaji]

I know...I know yet another salt related thread.

~post your pics here.
~are you increasing levels when mixing?
~are you dosing?
~ pics of inside mixing station are you getting the brown crud?

I have been debating on salt for the new tank RS650P as well as a nano + hopefully a large FOWLR down the road and I think I have settled on reg. IO

 

[BighohoReef]

For the 100g tank we switch to Tropic Marin was using reef crystals for a few years. I started to not like the way it wouldn't dissolve in the water. Always mix with RODI water now. At the end of the day in my opinion salt is salt between a majority of the brands. I just like the way Tropic Marin does business so I'm willing to spend a little extra.

Mixed tank - LPS, SPS, Softies
Salinity 1.025-26
Dose - TM All for Reef twice a week

There was a thread yesterday talking about this.

Why anything but Instant Ocean?

I am not worried about it. The most nasty stuff that I put into my tank comes from the fish food (who knows what is in that stuff, but I do know that it contains a lot of metals). 20mls to 300 gallons is no big deal... and I also skim, have aragonite and change water so exporting metals and...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Beefyreefy]

I know...I know yet another salt related thread.

~post your pics here.
~are you increasing levels when mixing?
~are you dosing?
~ pics of inside mixing station are you getting the brown crud?

I have been debating on salt for the new tank RS650P as well as a nano + hopefully a large FOWLR down the road and I think I have settled on reg. IO

Here is my tank that I grew with IO. The only issue is that my calcium levels were getting too low with water changes. This can be mediated with dosing though. I just recently switched to reef crystals so I don't have to adjust calcium levels. The crud in the mixing can never bothered me.

 

[piranhaman00]

I use regular IO, super cheap on Amazon. Calcium comes in a little low at 400-415 for me. The alkalinity also can range from 8.0-12.0 which is strange/frustrating, I use muratic acid to lower or dose alk to bring up. I love how cleanly it mixes and the price point No reason to switch for me.

 

[NeveroddoreveN]

This just arrived yesterday.

I only use IO. I just add a little calcium chloride and then it's my ideal params.

 

[AcroNem]

Fish only=IO
Invertebrates and corals=RC
I don't adjust for IO but will on RC if needed for a more sensitive system. I haven't gotten as much stuff in my new mixing stations as my last, possibly because it always has a circulation pump running and after water is pumped out I fill with an little bit of RODI until filled again for mixing.

 

[jstephens24]

This just arrived yesterday.

I only use IO. I just add a little calcium chloride and then it's my ideal params.

just ordered 3 bags of this myself yesterday

 

[EricGRIT09]

I've used IO for 5+ years on my 180 mixed reef - actually switched from RC back in the day because RC has very elevated levels for Alk/Ca/Mg. IO is pretty close to my target levels, is cheaper and mixes pretty clean. Then I adjust (of necessary) and maintain levels with B-Ionic 2-part.

 

[Devaji]

I use regular IO, super cheap on Amazon. Calcium comes in a little low at 400-415 for me. The alkalinity also can range from 8.0-12.0 which is strange/frustrating, I use muratic acid to lower or dose alk to bring up. I love how cleanly it mixes and the price point No reason to switch for me.

this is basically what I am wondering. is it cost effective to adjust the leves vs finding a salt that at your target. I love how easy it is for me to get as no LFS within 100s of miles each way. so amazon it in. I normally use RC but really thinking of the switch back to IO.

at the current prices a can get IO for .22 cents a gallon with the 160 bucket from amazon where the pharma grad tropic marin is .57 cents a gallon

can you tell us more about the adjusting process.

I plan to have a min. of 50 gallon mixing station with about 1.5-2 gallon daily AWC via apex.

 

[Devaji]

I've used IO for 5+ years on my 180 mixed reef - actually switched from RC back in the day because RC has very elevated levels for Alk/Ca/Mg. IO is pretty close to my target levels, is cheaper and mixes pretty clean. Then I adjust (of necessary) and maintain levels with B-Ionic 2-part.

are you adjusting right before wc or adjusting to your mixing station for AWC?

 

[piranhaman00]

this is basically what I am wondering. is it cost effective to adjust the leves vs finding a salt that at your target. I love how easy it is for me to get as no LFS within 100s of miles each way. so amazon it in. I normally use RC but really thinking of the switch back to IO.

at the current prices a can get IO for .22 cents a gallon with the 160 bucket from amazon where the pharma grad tropic marin is .57 cents a gallon

can you tell us more about the adjusting process.

I plan to have a min. of 50 gallon mixing station with about 1.5-2 gallon daily AWC via apex.

What size tank? I only adjust when doing large water changes which happens infrequently. If doing 10% you shouldnt have to adjust really.

 

[Devaji]

Fish only=IO
Invertebrates and corals=RC
I don't adjust for IO but will on RC if needed for a more sensitive system. I haven't gotten as much stuff in my new mixing stations as my last, possibly because it always has a circulation pump running and after water is pumped out I fill with an little bit of RODI until filled again for mixing.

this was my 1st thought use IO for the FOWLR system and RC for the RFA and mixed reef.
how ever I believe IO will mix and stor "better" than RC

 

[Devaji]

What size tank? I only adjust when doing large water changes which happens infrequently. If doing 10% you shouldnt have to adjust really.

red sea 650P so total volume is 175. my mixing station will be 50-100 gallons depending on what I can get semi local.

 

[madweazl]

Regular old Instant Ocean for 3 years. Only thing I did was drop the alkalinity down to approx 7.5 dKh. I never had issues with any parameters fluctuating.

 

[AcroNem]

this was my 1st thought use IO for the FOWLR system and RC for the RFA and mixed reef.
how ever I believe IO will mix and stor "better" than RC

It's a habit I picked up from working in a public aquarium, works well. IO mixes fast and clears quickly, it will work just fine for whatever you're doing.

 

[Devaji]

Regular old Instant Ocean for 3 years. Only thing I did was drop the alkalinity down to approx 7.5 dKh. I never had issues with any parameters fluctuating.

beautiful!
what method do you use to lower the alk?

 

[Devaji]

It's a habit I picked up from working in a public aquarium, works well. IO mixes fast and clears quickly, it will work just fine for whatever you're doing.

you know i am starting to think so to. I was/a, between the cheapest salt mix and the most expencive TMP but the more I look into it I belive reg. IO is the salt mix for me.

 

[Albertan22]

Another regular IO user here. My current tank is only a few months old so nothing really to show yet but I’ve used it for the last decade without issues. I’ll often bump the calcium up a little when mixing but that’s about it. It does leave a brown film in the mixing barrel over time but nothing a little paper towel can’t fix. I’ve never seen it appear in the DT.

 

[((FORDTECH))]

Everyone setup is different. There is no debating that IO either reef crystals or regular creates horrrible brown sludge and crud in the mixing container that is used. ( obviously you would think that goes into your tank aswell) Some of us use 50 gallon brute containers that are easily accessed out in the open and some like me use 100 gallon vertical containers that are huge and built in or buried behind stuff. With that being said I used IO reef crystals for many years and got so tired of spending at least a full day to take apart everything then beg my wife to help carry up the stairs to take in yard to clean again which was soooo horrible of a task in itself gallons of vinigar And long scrub brushes. NEVER AGAIN WILL I DO THAT. I switched to tropic Marin pro and won’t look back been using TMP for about a year and my container is as clean as the day I started. AMAZING. I will point out also that TMP mixes very consistant peramiters with all on the lower end between 7.2 and 7.6 which is about what I want and then Cal at 450 and mag at 1360 which both great to me because does not require any adjusting before or after water change. Anyways this is just my experience and opinion

 

[Devaji]

Everyone setup is different. There is no debating that IO either reef crystals or regular creates horrrible brown sludge and crud in the mixing container that is used. ( obviously you would think that goes into your tank aswell) Some of us use 50 gallon brute containers that are easily accessed out in the open and some like me use 100 gallon vertical containers that are huge and built in or buried behind stuff. With that being said I used IO reef crystals for many years and got so tired of spending at least a full day to take apart everything then beg my wife to help carry up the stairs to take in yard to clean again which was soooo horrible of a task in itself gallons of vinigar And long scrub brushes. NEVER AGAIN WILL I DO THAT. I switched to tropic Marin pro and won’t look back been using TMP for about a year and my container is as clean as the day I started. AMAZING. I will point out also that TMP mixes very consistant peramiters with all on the lower end between 7.2 and 7.6 which is about what I want and then Cal at 450 and mag at 1360 which both great to me because does not require any adjusting before or after water change. Anyways this is just my experience and opinion

if I go the IO rout I will ( hopefully I can do this ) will add a 5 mircon pre filter before the dose to pull out any crud that might make its way into the DT.

but yes I will more than likely be using the virt. mixing barrels as well so cleaning that out is an issue. hopfully I can find the large open tops one to make that task easier.